1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to artificial fishing lures and associated devices, and more particularly, to a device for injecting objects, such as rattling devices and weights, into artificial fishing lures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While live fishing bait is normally the most desirable, and possibly the most effective, lure for catching fish, the use of artificial fishing lures has gained wide acceptance among sport fishermen. Artificial lures, such as plastic worms, are well known in the art for simulating the appearance of live bait. Furthermore, sport fishermen have found it desirable to modify artificial lures for the purpose of enhancing the attractiveness of the lures to fish.
Artificial lure enhancements have taken many forms. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,811 issued to Freeman discloses a fishing lure and lure enhancement kit having a fishing lure comprising a soft plastic body with an elongated passage extending therethrough. An elongated tubular casing is received in the passage and includes a bore having an open leading end and an open trailing end. Freeman contemplates that the bore defined by the tubular casing provides a flow path for water through the interior of the lure body as the lure is pulled through the water thereby imparting a fish attracting noise and movement thereto. In an alternate embodiment, Freeman teaches a replaceable dispenser of fish attractant received in the bore such that water flowing through the bore effectively discharges an amount of fish attractant behind the lure.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,466 issued to Young discloses an article for injecting fish-attractant into bait. Young teaches injecting foreign matter, such as air and/or a mixture of air and fish attractant, into the internal digestive tract of a live worm for preventing the worm from sinking to the bottom of a body of water. Injecting air into a natural worm increases the buoyancy of the worm thereby properly positioning the worm at an approximate height above the bottom. Young discloses a bottle incorporating a hypodermic needle having a beveled leading end to facilitate penetration of the needle. Once inserted, the bottle is squeezed by the user to force air out of the bottle thereby inflating the worm.
Another common means of enhancing artificial lures includes the association of a noise making or rattling device with the lure. Such devices are commonly referred to as "lure rattles" or "worm rattles" (hereinafter "rattling device"). Typical of these prior art rattling devices are the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,988,851 and 4,203,246 issued to Sacharnoski, Sr. Sacharnoski discloses a capsule comprising a glass tube with closed ends containing a plurality of free spherical balls, preferably metal, for association with a fishing lure to produce clear, resonant sounds that attract fish to the lure without materially affecting the attitude of the lure or its course within or through the water. Such devices, provide a simple and inexpensive sound-producing means that is adapted to be easily and effectively attached to or embedded in the body of an artificial fishing lure of any type or nature for the purpose of producing clear, resonant sounds within the water as the lure is moved through the water, thereby attracting fish.
In order to maintain the external physical appearance of the lure, the vast majority of fishermen insert rattling devices directly into the soft body of lure. The insertion of such a rattling device into a fishing lure thus produces clicking sounds so as to entice fish to the lure without materially affecting the external appearance of the lure, its attitude, position or course within or through the water.
Prior art rattling devices typically comprise a glass capsule housing a plurality of small, spherical bodies, such as metal balls or shot. Preferably, the tubular capsule is drawn from hard glass tubing, such as commercially available Pyrex.RTM. glass. The shot-containing tube may be attached to or embedded within the body of a lure of any type or nature in a way so that it has no material effect on the movements of the lure within the water, but so that the balls produce a clear, resonant, clicking sound that has a decided and sufficient loudness, pitch, and quality of character to attract fish to the lure. The use of glass is of importance not only due to the fact that such material is corrosion resistant and is easy and inexpensive to work with in fabricating, but also because the glass, due to the physical characteristics and properties thereof, creates louder and clearer sounds with greater fish-enticing pitch and quality than would be realizable with metal, plastic, or other materials.
In one example, a rattling device is produced using conventional Pyrex.RTM. glass tubing drawn to a tube wall thickness of about 1/4 to 1/2 millimeter, with an outside diameter of 3 to 4 millimeters. The tubing is severed to produce small tubes housing metallic balls therein. The resultant tubes are 1/2 to 3/4 inches in length and enclose a plurality of no. 8 or no. 9 shot, the ends of the tubes being sealed as by heating and crimping.
As disclosed by Sacharnoski, the common method of inserting a rattling device includes hand insertion by the user. For example, in FIG. 4 of each of Sacharnoski's patents, there is depicted what the applicant submits is the current state of the art for fishing lure rattling device insertion. Sacharnoski teaches using a sharp tool T that can be forced in a portion of a soft artificial lure thereby forming a starter hole. Thereafter, the user must force an end of the rattling device into the starter hole and then, push the rattle into the body of the lure using only his hands.
There are, however, a number of readily apparent disadvantages with inserting fishing lure rattling devices as taught by Sacharnoski. Firstly, as previously mentioned, the rattling devices are often relatively small, being approximately 1/2 inch in length and having an outside diameter of approximately 4 millimeters. Therefore, the devices are difficult to manipulate, particularly for those suffering from disorders affecting the hands and joints. Secondly, since the rattling devices are typically fabricated from thin Pyrex glass, there is a danger that the user may accidently crush the device and consequently suffer severe cuts to his/her fingers and hands. Lastly, hand insertion does not permit precise positioning of the device within the lure thereby degrading the performance of the lure in the water.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,115 issued to Auten et al. discloses a noise making fishing lure made by inserting a glass container having at least one metal ball loosely contained therein into the body of a soft plastic fishing lure. Auten et al. teach forming a cavity within the artificial lure by using a cylindrical configured elongated member. The lure rattle is then inserted by the user initially placing the rattle partially into the cavity with his or her hand then contacting the rattle with the elongated member so as to completely position and force the rattle into the cavity by using the elongated member as a ram rod. Auten et al's method, however, fails to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages associated with the insertion of rattling devices into artificial fishing lures.
Thus, there exists a need for a device for precisely inserting rattling devices into artificial fishing lures while overcoming the attendant disadvantages present in the art. It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings that the present invention is directed toward.